Chapter 24: Selecting Preferences

Frequent high-intensity training sessions had taken a toll on Zhao Rui’s mental state.

After finishing his sparring session with his coach in the afternoon—which brought his mastery of the "Wild Wind Blade Technique" to fifty percent—Zhao Rui had just stepped out of the martial arts gym building when he received a call from Bai Xuening.

The young girl asked how he estimated his exam results and which university he planned to apply to. It had been several days since the exams ended; her reaction seemed a bit slow.

Zhao Rui mentioned that he wanted to apply to Dongqi University, though the required scores were quite high, and his estimate was hovering right around the previous year’s cut-off. It was going to be a close call.

"Oh, the exam was difficult this year, so the cut-off scores should be lower. I believe in you!"

"What about you?"

"Me? I applied to Sichuan University. It’s close to Mount Emei."

"Oh!"

Zhao Rui responded, understanding the situation immediately. After all, as an initiate disciple of the Emei Sect, she likely had access to internal quotas at Sichuan University.

"What have you been doing at home all these days?"

Once the serious business was out of the way, Bai Xuening’s voice softened, turning into a gentle, honeyed whisper.

"Just hanging out, nothing serious. I’ve been working as a sparring partner for the last two days to earn some extra pocket money," Zhao Rui said casually.

"A sparring partner? Won't that interfere with your martial arts training? Do you need money? I—I can lend you some."

The girl hesitated for a long moment, seemingly afraid that bringing up money would hurt Zhao Rui’s pride.

"I’m not short on cash; I’m just doing it to gain practical combat experience," Zhao Rui brushed it off. As for whether he was actually short on money—there was no need to guess. Of course he was. Wealth, companions, techniques, and resources—in any era, money was the hard currency.

"Oh, well, make sure you manage your time well. Don't let your martial arts practice slide."

"Got it, you sound like a nagging old woman! That’s not like you at all." A smile tugged at the corner of Zhao Rui’s lips.

"You don't appreciate my kindness, hmph. I’m hanging up." Bai Xuening’s pink lips pouted, and acting with a touch of petulance, she ended the call.

"Hey? You were the one who called me!" Zhao Rui looked at his phone, which had returned to the home screen, and couldn't help but shrug.

Summer vacation was long and carefree, with no homework and no pressure from parents. Only at this time could students truly enjoy a completely relaxing break. Because of the incident with the "Fire Cloud Cthulhu," Zhao Rui had reined in his desire to roam. He spent two weeks straight holed up in the gym working as a sparring partner, until the day the college entrance exam results were released.

"Son, what’s your score?"

Anxiously waiting outside Zhao Rui’s bedroom door, his parents, Zhao Jincheng and Xue Wenhui, asked hurriedly as soon as they saw him walk out after checking his results.

"623 points. Sixteen points above the key university threshold."

"How much?"

Zhao Jincheng and his wife were incredulous. They never expected their son to score so high—tens of points higher than their initial expectations.

"I got full marks on both the theory and practical portions of my martial arts specialty exam... and I did pretty well in math, too." Zhao Rui explained his results with a smile. Having the mind of an adult combined with the memory of a teenager gave him an inherent advantage. Furthermore, the system interface had helped him improve his martial arts level.

"That’s great, that’s just great! I need to call your grandfather and the others right away..." Zhao Jincheng was overcome with excitement and turned quickly to grab his phone. Xue Wenhui was no different; the phone didn't stop ringing. Watching his parents proudly sharing the news with their relatives, a smile appeared on Zhao Rui’s lips.

With the results out, it was time to fill out college applications. A few days later, on the day of the application process, Zhao Rui woke up early, hopped on his bicycle, and headed to school.

Since it was summer vacation, there were no students in class. Those strolling into the school gates were all high school graduates arriving to submit their applications.

"Zhao Rui, what did you get?"

Just as he reached the gate, Zhao Rui ran into several classmates, and they rode their bikes into the campus together.

"623!"

"Zhao Rui, you scored so high! That’s amazing!"

"Exactly! With that score, you can barely make it into Dongqi University!"

The classmates had not expected Zhao Rui, whose grades usually hovered around the undergraduate cut-off, to perform so well this time.

"Just lucky. I guessed the ones I didn't know, and I happened to be right!" Zhao Rui laughed.

"That’s a form of skill, too!"

"For sure! I didn't guess right on several questions! It’s such a pity, otherwise I’d have ten more points!"

As they chatted, they soon arrived in front of the teaching building. After locking their bikes, they headed toward the classroom. Having not seen each other for a while, there was an endless supply of small talk.

"Look, that’s Luo Min. I heard Zhejiang University offered her direct admission, but she insisted on taking the exam herself. I wonder how she did."

"Her grades are always so good; she definitely didn't do poorly."

Just as they stepped onto the stairs to the third floor, they saw a beautiful and graceful girl walking toward them from the corner. It was Luo Min, the class's famous top student and the one who anchored the class's aesthetic standards.

"Hello, everyone!"

A moment later, as they brushed past each other, Luo Min smiled and waved at them, her expression warm and calm.

The group didn't expect her to greet them. Suddenly, everyone’s heart rate quickened as they forced what they thought were their best smiles.

After the girl left, everyone began to make jokes and sigh, "I won't be able to see my classmate Min-Min anymore!"

"What do you mean 'your' classmate Min-Min? She’s 'our' classmate Min-Min."

"I have a phobia of germs!"

"..."

"Filthy, shameless!"

Amidst the mischievous laughter, Zhao Rui followed them into the classroom.

"Old Zhao, you’re late!"

As soon as he entered, Yang Fan beckoned to him. Zhao Rui walked over and sat down, and Yang Fan whispered mysteriously, "I heard Wang Han didn't do well. He only got 596 points."

"That low? That’s quite a bit lower than his usual performance."

"Who told him to act so arrogant all the time? If you have the ability to flirt with teachers, you should have the ability to get into a good university." Yang Fan said with a hint of schadenfreude. This Wang Han was one of the only two fourth-level martial artists in the class—though later, with Zhao Rui included, there were three.

"Why do you care about him?" Zhao Rui smiled.

"I just don't like him!" Yang Fan grumbled. He was about to say more when Sun Tiantian, sitting in the front row, turned around, looked at Zhao Rui, and asked softly, "Which school are you applying to?"

"I’m applying to Dongqi University!"

"Dongqi?" Sun Tiantian paused, then said with a hint of disappointment, "You want to be in the same school as Luo Min that badly?"

"Luo Min? I don't even know which school she applied to."

"But your score is really risky. You don't have a guaranteed spot at that school!" Sun Tiantian said, looking annoyed.

"I’ll accept a transfer!" Zhao Rui smiled without saying more. He had only one reason for wanting to apply to Dongqi University: among the provincial universities, only Dongqi and a few others had their own professional collegiate martial arts training teams—the kind that could participate in high-level competitions like the provincial league. Other universities had teams, but their standards weren't high enough, and they could only compete in local games or minor martial arts tournaments.

"Hmph, all excuses."

Sun Tiantian turned around, clearly unhappy, and stopped paying attention to him. Zhao Rui shrugged, looking helpless, and turned to Yang Fan to ask, "Did Luo Min apply to Dongqi University?"